Phantasm Break
by WolverZon
Summary: You know those silly Touhou fanfics of Mary Sues who go on journeys, hook up with their favorite Touhou character, fight off evil, and save Gensokyo? Yeah, this is one of those. Sorry, couldn't resist myself.
1. Prologue

PROLOGUE

Light poured in from the window as the morning sun slowly rose. The dimly lit room was still dark, however, and its lone inhabitant slept peacefully. A beige blanket covered up to the person's shoulder while a pillow was on top of his head, as if he didn't want to expose himself to the outside world. His rest was interrupted when a loud ring sounded from a nearby desk, his alarm clock buzzing to the time set. The young man reached out with his hand, feeling his surroundings and trying to find the source, until he realizes the table was on the other side of the room. He resented his own incompetence, walked over to the table, and pressed the button to finally silence the clock.

Yawning, he rubbed his eyes as he walked over to his closet, searching for his school uniform. A white polo shirt, with the school's name embroidered on the left chest area, was tossed carelessly on his bed. He pulled out a pair of black trousers and a pair of white socks, tossing them in the same manner. Finished with this task, he retrieved his navy blue bath towel, opened the door, and proceeded to the kitchen.

It was a cold Monday morning. The air was chilly, contrast to the usual dryness that pervaded the country most of the time. In the middle of February, it was understandable. For the young man, however, this only added to his annoyance of having to wake up in the early morning. Not to mention that what he had on at that time was a white t-shirt and green striped boxers.

He picked up a kettle and placed it on top of the stove. He turned it up, the flames flickering underneath the kettle. Taking a piece of leftover pizza from the refrigerator, he took a seat on a chair, his elbows placed on the dining table, and not even bothering to heat it up, and promptly had his breakfast.

He finished his meal just as the kettle started whistling, signalling the time for bath. Finished his bath, he walked into his room to dress up.

The young man stares in the mirror as he finishes buttoning his shirt. He picked up his black framed glasses from atop the table, put it on, and took a good look of himself.

He had a lanky physique, perhaps thinner than most would be comfortable. He had pale skin, evidence of his aversion to the outside world. His scrawny face was ridden with pimples, typical of people of his age. He suspected, however, that this was a result of his consumption of fried, oily food than hormones or whatever. He rubbed his eyes, still feeling sleepy from his erratic sleeping hours, as one can tell from the dark rings under his brown, sullen eyes. Taking a pair of black loafers from under his wooden bed, he spotted a piece of paper. He held the paper near his window, which was his only source of light as the light bulb in his room needed fixing. On the paper was a drawing, depicting a family of four: a mother, a father, a teenage boy, and, finally, a little girl. He grimaced, gazing at the picture before crumpling and tossing it into the nearby trash bin. He gathered his thoughts, then finished putting on his socks and shoes.

17-year-old college student Hiromu Kuze adjusted his collar as he finishes dressing up. Majoring in Psychology, he moved to his grandparent's house at the age of 15, just after graduating high school. Hiromu was half-Japanese half-Filipino. His mother was of Japanese descent, while his father was Filipino. Despite that, Hiromu's knowledge of the Japanese language was limited from anime, manga, and games. Filipino and English were the only ones he properly learned. He, however, had recently signed up for classes, in order to cope with his new environment. Born and raised in the Philippines, he moved to Japan after a certain life changing event took place.

Hiromu shook himself from his reverie. He took his wristwatch and looked at the time. 6:40 AM. Hastily, he put it on. He grabbed his trusty Ipod and a pair of green Urbanears headphones; Hiromu loved music even though he never formally studied it. His Ipod were filled with rock, hip hop, some anime songs, and of course, Touhou.

Hiromu became a Touhou fan even before his migration to Japan. He loved the everything there was in the series: the characters which were composed mostly of females, the story, the setting, and of course, the _music._

Being a music enthusiast, Hiromu loved the series' amazing compositions. The numerous arranges made by fans was a huge plus, too. Touhou music played on his Ipod for most of the time.

Hiromu greeted his grandparent's goodbye as he leaves for school. His black and gray backpack slung over his shoulders, he put on his green headphones, played Yumegatari, an arrange of Girls' Sealing Club by TUMENECO and walked hurriedly to the nearby bus stop.

He felt something on his left pocket as he jogged, and pulled out what that something is. It was a piece of yellow paper. Written on it were various questions of relating to effects of stress on one's body. Before Hiromu could curse himself at forgetting to do his homework, the wind swept the paper from his hand. He stood wide-eyed, cursed his luck, then gave chase to it.

For some inexplicable reason, Hiromu had the worst luck in the entire history of mankind. He lost games of rock-paper-scissors more times than he could count. His frequent encounters with thugs and gangsters would lead one to believe that he was out looking for fights. His allowance would never be used in a proper way, as it would be eaten by vending machines or blown away by the wind or whatever. Such luck would drive a man insane, but this only made Hiromu to appreciate and enjoy the remaining good fortune he has, how little it may be.

The paper continued to be blown away, much to Hiromu's chagrin. The wind eventually died down, and Hiromu saw the paper dropped atop the local shrine. He looked up, the stone stairs challenging him to pick up his homework. _Well, a little exercise wouldn't do no harm, _he thought. And so, he hurriedly climbed the stairs.

The local abandoned shrine was only a few blocks away from Hiromu's house. The small, run-down shrine had long been abandoned, as Hiromu saw no worshippers or anyone for that matter even do so much as donate a single yen. The shrine's name has long been forgotten, and any passerby would pay no heed to the shrine. Hiromu has always though that he is the only one who acknowledges the shrine's existence.

Finally arriving at the top of the stairs, Hiromu took in the sight before him. He had only realized that this was the first time he visited a shrine. The Shinto gate was completely run-down, and Hiromu feared that it may collapse, and knowing his luck, the probability was quite high. From where he stood, Hiromu could see the oratory and the main hall, which, from what little Hiromu knew, enshrined the god. What that god was, however, Hiromu had no idea of.

The piece of paper lied a few meters from an old donation box. Hiromu finally picked it up, then placed it back on his left pocket. He tapped the pocket twice, reassuring himself that it was secured. He took notice of the donation box nearby, and contemplated on donating. Hiromu was an atheist, sure, but he thought that there was a chance the gods of fortune would give him some slack if he did so. Thrusting his into his pocket, he pulled out a 5-yen coin, and with his right hand, inserted the coin into the box as if he was doing so in an arcade. Just as his fingers made contact with the coin, Hiromu heard the sound of glass shattering. Paying it no mind, he simply turned around and head down the stone stairs.

In his hurry, Hiromu lost his footing. Cursing the gods for his horrible fortune, he tumbled down the stairs. He shielded his head using his arms; the pain being absorbed mostly by his limbs. A few seconds and Hiromu finally reached the ground. He curled in a fetal position, waiting for the pain to subside. His sore limbs ached as he sat up, dusting off the dirt from his uniform. He frowned as he found a hole on the lower part of his trousers, specifically on his knee. _Such misfortune_.

His eyes squinted, as they had a hard time seeing in the darkness. He slowly stood up, using a tree beside him for support.

...wait, a tree? Hiromu's eyes were drawn on the ground, expecting to see asphalt but was surprised to find dirt. He raised his head, and felt his mouth hung open.

The young, college student found himself deep within a forest. Surrounding him were trees, nothing but trees as far as he could see. Hiromu found himself surprised that he could even see as the darkness was as thick as the forest itself. He wondered if there was a solar eclipse that he had no news of. He looked up at the sky, and found the moon gazing down oon him. Hiromu gulped, wishing that he could swallow the fact that it was _nighttime._

Hiromu tried taking a step forward, but found himself completel paralyzed. His mind was blank, his thoughts failed to process. Despite the cold evening air, sweat profusely trickled down his forehead. He could feel his heartbeat thumping louder and louder.

Taking a long, deep breath, Hiromu took a step forward. It was as if one is taking a step into an unknown world.

It took longer than Hiromu liked to convince himself that this was real. Blood trickled down his right temple, and he contemplated the idea that this was some sort of hallucination, like damage to his brain. He open and closed his fists, swung his arms around, and walked a few steps. Satisfied in knowing that he was still mentally functioning, Hiromu dismissed the idea.

Hiromu's attempt in searching for an explanation was interrupted when, in his peripheral vision, he spotted something flying overhead. At first, he thought that it was an airplane, but quickly dismissed the notion when he saw that something as having a humanoid figure. Hiromu's face was blank, but his mind was fumbling with the thought that _a person is flying_.

The flying figure spotted him, as it was approaching Hiromu at a rapid pace. Before Hiromu could even take a step back, the figure landed a few meters away. Hiromu took a good look at the person before him.

The first thing Hiromu noticed was the absurdly large witch hat the person wore. A purple ribbon tied neatly on the front brim. Long blonde hair reached out to her waist, and the right side was braided with a white ribbon. Her golden, sparkling eyes gazed deep into Hiromu's. the girl's attire had a black and white color scheme. A white apron tied on her waist, a broomstick held on her right hand, and the only thing Hiromu could think of was: _a witch_.

Another thought was that the girl was beautiful, but Hiromu reminded himself that there was no time for such things.

"An outsider? How rare, ze~" the witch commented after she finished dusitng off herself.

Hiromu paused, then replied, "O-outsider?"

"Judging by your clothes, you must be one,"

Certainly, Hiromu's appearance was way different than the girl wore before him. However, on normal circumstances, a sane person would likely judge that Hiromu's was the normal one. Hiromu's mind took in the fact that the girl called him an outsider, and that his clothes weren't normal. Two plus two equals...?

"So, then, I stepped into a new world," Hiromu said, after a moment's pause.

"Well, you could say that," the witch displayed a playful smile. "Welcome to Gensokyo!"

At the mention of that, Hiromu's mind shut down. A blonde witch just welcomed him to Gensokyo, the setting of the Touhou Project, which means...

"Marisa!?" Hiromu called out, startling the witch. "You're Marisa Kirisame!?"

Now it was the witch's turn to be surprised, "H-hold on, how did you-"

Before she could finish the sentence, a loud, shrill scream echoed throughout the forest. "MAAAARRRRIIISSSAAA!"

"Oh, crap, she's here!" Marisa said, a worried tone in her voice. "I've gotta go!"

"W-wait, please, who's here?" Hiromu asked.

Before she could reply, they both heard a loud _thud_. Marisa and Hiromu turned in unison.

Standing before the both of them was girl of around Marisa's height. She had short blonde hair accentuated with a red bow. Her orange eyes stared menacingly at the witch. She wore a light blue dress with pink ribbons. In her right hand, she grasped a large black book. Accompanying her was a doll with long blonde hair tied with a pink ribbon. Wearing a black and white maid outfit, the doll floated right beside her master. All in all, the girl exhibited unbelievable beauty.

She was Alice Margatroid, the Seven Colored Puppeteer. The doll was her ever faithful servant, Shanghai.

Judging from her glare, Hiromu deduced she had a bone to pick with Marisa.

"To think you would leave just like that, how dare you," Alice murmured, her voice ending with a hiss.

"H-hold on, I can explain!" The witch stammered.

"As if I care!" the puppeteer growled. She raised her hand, the index finger pointing at Marisa. At her command, Shanghai flew to her, the right hand transforming into a deadly drill.

"Oh, crap!" Marisa cried, before hopping on her broom to get out of the way.

Unfortunately, standing behind the witch was our soon-to-be-late protagonist, Hiromu.

"Eh?" Hiromu stared blankly as Shanghai was now aimed at him. Marisa's shout to Hiromu fell on deaf ears as the young man's mind went blank.

Hiromu was about to be stabbed by a doll. He should be at school right now, waiting for the professor to arrive. Yet, here he was, about to be killed by his favorite Touhou character.

With instinct, Hiromu did what he thought he could only do. He raised his right hand in front of him, and closed his eyes.

Hiromu expect to feel pain, but nothing happened.

He, however, thought he heard the familiar sound of glass breaking.

Hiromu opened his eyes, and saw that Shanghai was slumped on his right hand, as if her very soul has been snuffed out.

Marisa and Alice could only stare in shock and disbelief.

Hiromu broke the silence with the million dollar question. "Wh-what just happened?"

His voice broke Alice's train of thought. She opened her book, and a blue magic circle materialized behind her.

"I don't know what you are, or what you just did," Alice shouted in frustration. "But you're going to pay!"

Orbs of various colors fired from the magic circle. Blue ones, green ones, yellow ones, all aimed at Hiromu.

_Danmaku_._ This is danmaku_. Hiromu thought to himself.

Before he could jump out of the way, the orbs were only inches away from him. He stuck his right hand, as if it could shield him from it. The orb struck his hand, and was..._dispelled_.

The numerous orbs quickly followed the same result. Hiromu stood there before the puppeteer and the witch completely unharmed.

"Wh-what are you!? What did you just do!?" Alice shouted, bewildered.

Hiromu grinned, thinking he had won.

Before he could celebrate his victory (the fact that he was still alive), Hiromu heard a loud _crack _behind him.

Apparently, one of the orbs missed him and stuck a tree in half, the other half falling down.

Apparently, Hiromu was right underneath it.

Marisa and Alice flinched, as the young man lay face down the dirt, the snapped tree toppled down on him. Noticing that he wasn't moving, The two girls slowly approached the presumably injured Hiromu.

"So, what do we do with this outsider now, ze?"

"We take him back to my house, since it's a lot faster and nearer,"

And so Hiromu, slumped on the broom behind Marisa, was flown away, headed to the puppeteer's house who accompanied them.

Hiromu Kuze would unknowingly embark on a brand new journey in self-discovery and...

Oh, who am I kidding? Hiromu could only mutter as his consciousness fades.

"Such misfortune."

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that was longer than expected.<br>**

**For those wondering, I already gave out some hints as to what Hiromu's mysterious power could be. *wink, wink.***

**So, whose ready to embark on an amazing journey-**

***gets shot by Reisen***


	2. Arrival and Departure

**Arrival and Departure**

Melting snow slowly falls from the branches of trees surrounding the old run-down Hakurei Shrine. It's lone resident continues to sweep the grounds, becoming her daily routine. The shrine maiden, clutching a broom on one hand, massaged her forehead with the other. The effects of last night's alcohol still hasn't worn off, no matter how much water she drank nor how much fruit she consumed. A loud snore could be heard a few meters away from her. Slumped on the front porch, the culprit behind the shrine maiden's horrible morning slept without a care for the world. A purple gourd was firmly grasped on her right hand, seemingly unseperable. Two long straight horns protruded from her head, decorated with ribbons. Donning a tattered pale pink blouse, long purple and pink skirt, and three chain accessories tied to her belt, the little oni would nonetheless look like a child to anyone not familiar with her.

Reimu Hakurei adjusted her red and white ribbon as she finishes the morning's task. Putting her broom away, her red and white western dress which was remotely similar to a shrine maiden's fluttered as the cold wind blew. The detached sleeves, which left her shoulders and armpit exposed, danced against the unrelenting gust. Finally, the wind subsided, and the shrine maiden once again fixed her nearly falling ribbon.

As she sits down beside the alcoholic oni, she tries to retrieve the lost memory of last night's events. She only vaguely remembers bits and pieces such as Suika Ibuki barging in unceremoniously in her home, the oni shoving her signature sake down poor Reimu's throat, and the drunk shrine maiden finally giving in to her desire to drink. This would happen every week or so, as Suika's tendency to visit her, and her overall personality, was difficult to predict. Reimu's only course of action was to surrender and cope with the circumstances.

Not that it irritated her or anything. Matters such as these never bothered her anyways. Reimu wasn't a total loner; she preferred company every now and then. Among her frequent vistors were a certain kleptomaniac witch, a drunken oni, the group of mischievous fairies who recently took up residence near her home, and finally, a certain gap hag who-

The shrine maiden's thoughts were interrupted as a playful voice whispered in her ear, "Mind repeating that once again?"

Reimu frowned. Her dark red eyes quickly darted behind her. A gash in space in the form of a waning crescent floated a meter above ground, inside were eyes and sometimes arms. Each end of the gash in space, most oftern referred to as 'gaps', were tied off at the end with red ribbons.

From out of the gap came out a woman, seemingly young in appearance, though those who are familiar with her would think otherwise. She had deep, purple eyes complemented by her long blonde hair. On her right hand was a pink lace parasol which was often seen with the woman no matter where she goes. Her left hand holds a paper fan which she promptly opens and hide her face with, masking her expression, intention, and thoughts.

The Youkai of Boundaries, Yukari Yakumo.

"You look well, Hakurei shrine maiden," the gap youkai remarked.

"To what do I owe this lovely visit, Yukari?" Reimu asked in a polite tone of voice. Yukari merely chuckled at the shrine maiden's behavior. She, after all, observed Reimu's 'party' with the oni last night, and even took part in it in a certain way.

"Nothing at all. I merely wish to see how you are faring considering last night's event,"

"Oh, please," Reimu rolled her eyes. "We all know who drank one-third of the sake Suika brought. I could see your sticky fingers grabbing bottles here and there."

Yukari scoffed the shrine maiden's accusation. "Well, I wasn't even invited, and yet-"

"And what obligations do I have to invite you over?"

Seeing the fuming Reimu, Yukari decided to drop the subject and continue to more pressing matters.

"Oh, yes. About last night..."

"Yeah, I know," Reimu replied, taking a sidelong look at her companion. Behind the paper fan, Yukari's expression was unreadable.

Even in her drunken stupor, Reimu believed what she saw last night. From the front porch, while conversing with Suika, Reimu took a quick glance at the night sky and almost dropped the sake bottle she was holding. The beautiful night sky filled with glimmering stars that the shrine maiden was expecting to see was replaced by the sight of tall, alien structures. Reimu could only describe them as buildings that seemed to reach the heavens. They had windows, more than Reimu could count, and at the very bottom were what she believed were entrances to the structure. The buildings were separated by roads of asphalt. On the roads were moving machines Reimu had never laid eyes before. It ran on four wheels, and in them were humans which she assumed commandeered the vehicles. _What were they called again? Cars, I think_.

All of this took place for a second before the night sky Reimu was always fond of replaced the foreign spectacle.

Reimu looked at the youkai of boundaries, letting the shrine maiden's eyes do the questioning.

Yukari paused, before nodding.

Last night, while having a drink with the oni, Reimu Hakurei saw the outside world for the first time.

Reimu remained in silence, realizing what this meant.

Last night, while Reimu was having a drink with the oni, the boundary between Gensokyo and the outside world disappeared.

"It only occured in the briefest of instances," Yukari spoke after a moment's silence. " So there was no damage at all."

That was all well and good, Reimu thought. But what worried her was what caused it. The boundary between Gensokyo and the outside world was nigh impenetrable, and only powerful youkai could force their way through. So to erase the boundary completely...

"It wasn't like all of the Great Barrier was erased instantly," Yukari mused. " The negation started from the weakest point, and spread from there."

So someone basically took hold of the weakest link in the chain, and proceeded to tear it apart? Reimu cupped her chin, lost in her thoughts. Her attempt to explain the breach in the barrier was interrupted by a sudden realization.

"Weakest point, you say?" Reimu glared at the blonde youkai. "You've slacked off again, haven't you?"

Yukari shrugged off the shrine maiden's piercing glare with an unsteady smile. "H-hey, now. It's not like I didn't took action right after. I restores the boundary as soon as I sensed its alteration."

Reimu continued to glare at the youkai for while before letting it slide. She wanted to steer the conversation on what was important.

"Who do you think did it?"

"Definitely someone from the outside," Yukari said, her expression still unreadable. "Even in my sleep, I could sense anyone who would meddle with the barrier. On the other hand, if it was from outside..."

The two gazed off into the horizon. It was still quite early in the morning as the sun hasn't risen yet. The snow surrounding the grounds continues to melt as the temperature slow rises. In a matter of days, spring will be here. Tomorrow seemed so bright and was sure to come, but to Reimu it was dark and far away.

After a while, Reimu spoke. "An incident, you think?"

"I hope not," Yukari could only mutter.

The two, with the slumbering oni, continued to gaze into the horizon, uncertain of what is to come.

* * *

><p>It was dark. Absolutely dark. It took a moment before the young man's eyes adjusted to the darkness. Hiromu Kuze, a 17-year-old college student, laid motionless as his mind tried to grasp the current situation. Last time he checked, he was heading off to school early in the morning. Hiromu blinked a few times, staring out at the windows. The moonlight shining down on him showed that it was unmistakably nighttime. Taking a few deep breaths, he finally sat up straight and took in his surroundings.<p>

He was in a room. A musty one, at that. Hiromu, despite the season, didn't felt any coldness or whatsoever. Gazing down, a thick grey blanket cover him. Hiromu also noticed that, instead of his school uniform, he wore what appeared to be blue pajamas, decorated with ribbons ribbons here and there. _Cute_, Hiromu thought, with a wry smile. _But not really my style_.

He scanned the room, wondering where he was. Numerous books lay on the wooden floor, scattered. Some were open, begging to be read, while others were tightly sealed shut. Hiromu's gaze continued, trying to find the source of light. His eyes fell on a lantern sat atop a wooden desk, its flame flickering. To its left were more piles of books, and to the right was a...doll?

Upon seeing the doll, all memories of what occured earlier quickly rushed to Hiromu's mind. His apparent arrival at Gensokyo, his meeting with the ordinary witch, and his clash with the Seven Colored Puppeteer.

Not to mention, his most humiliating victory yet. _Damn that stupid tree_.

Hiromu collapsed back on the bed. He had only realized now the painful lump on the back of his head. His schoolbag, thankfully, absorbed some of the force of the toppled tree. Still, the nagging pain he could feel behind him let him know that his back didn't go off completely unscathed.

Remembering his fight with Alice Margatroid, Hiromu lifted his right hand to his face. Just what had happened, exactly? The doll, Shanghai, which Alice commanded to attack him, went lifeless upon meeting contact with his right hand. The orbs the puppeteer summoned were dispelled upon again meeting with his right hand. Funny, Hiromu thought. All of this was like magic was ineffective against him, reminding him of the protagonist of a certain light novel.

After staring at his right hand for a few minutes, Hiromu decided to get up and thank a certain magician and puppeteer who were kind enough to help him. He found the door and stepped out of the room.

Closing the door behind him, Hiromu noticed a staircase to his right, indicating he was in the second floor. In front of him was a door slightly ajar, light escaping out from the inside. Without hesitation, he opened the door and stepped inside.

Alice Margatroid stood in front of a mirror attached to the wall, brushing her teeth. She was facing away from Hiromu, so she didn't immediately noticed the poor unlucky lad. Whats she had on were her pink bra and same colored frilly panties. Hiromu did a double take when he finally noticed, as he first studied that which appeared to be a bathroom. It was the first time he saw someone of the opposite gender dressed the way she was. Hiromu admired the puppeteer's body. Her white skin glimmered from the dimly lit room's only source of light. Her blonde hair was messy, indicating that she had only woken up. All in all, Hiromu quickly confirmed that he has met the most beautiful woman in his life. All the blood in his body immediately rushed to his head.

Alice Margatroid finally noticed the young man's reflection. Her mouth fell open, which Hiromu thought was cute, and the toothbrush fell in to the sink. Hiromu noticed movements in her hand, and was horrified in knowing what was to come next.

Yes, what was to come next, Hiromu already knew. It happened in all the anime, manga, and video games that he went through. So why the hell wouldn't it happen now?

In an instant, Hiromu was swarmed by an army of doll, each of their hands transformed into a drill. Hiromu, startled, quickly tried a futile attempt to calm her down.

"H-hang on, please Alice," Hiromu stammered. "I-it was all a mistake."

"Mistake? Your only mistake was that you were ever born!" Alice growled, her head bent low. With a flick of her finger, all the dolls charged straight at Hiromu.

The young college student, however, after watching countless anime and reading manga, had anticipated this. Hiromu was already over Alice , and quickly grabbed her by the wrist. The army of dolls fell on the floor in no time, as if some mysterious power cut off their source of life.

Shocked, Alice gazed at her fallen friends. It happened again, and like last time, she had no idea what had occured.

Alice looked into Hiromu's eyes, her own eyes beginning to tear up. _Th-this guy, just like that..._

Hiromu took a step back, realizing what they looked like now.

To him, he had prevented his death by grabbing Alice by the wrist, stopping her dolls in their tracks.

To others, a young man was holding a vulnerable scantily clad girl by the wrist, who looked like she was about to burst into tears.

Before any of the two of them could say a word, a blonde magician in her pajamas walked right into the bathroom.

"You're taking so long, ze~" the half-asleep Marisa said, rubbing her eyes. "It's my turn now."

She looked up, and burst into the greatest laughter known to man.

* * *

><p>After what seemed like an hour, Marisa finally calmed down. Wiping away the tears in her eye, she sat straight up, and looked at the two people who were the source of her outburst.<p>

Alice's face was still red. One would wonder how much blood she could have to color her face that long. She took a sip from her tea, as it helped her calm down, considering what she had just been through. She sat with her legs crossed, now properly dressed in her usual garments. Her eyes were closed, and her brows were furrowed. It seems that it would take while before anyone or anything quell her anger.

Marisa turned her attention to the young man who sat opposite Alice. Hiromu Kuze had changed back into his tattered school uniform. His head was low, and the ordinary magician wondered whether he was apologizing to Alice or cursing his luck. A large red palm print could be seen on his left cheek, a result of his misfortune. He remained still, his hands clasped together as if he was praying for forgiveness.

Finally, the black-and-white witch spoke.

"Well, to think something like that would happen," She turned to Alice and gave a playful wink. "What were the odds?"

Hiromu's clasped hand tightened on hearing the witch's words. The sheer improbability of it ever happening made it seem like Hiromu did it on purpose. Just what kind of flag did he trigger?

Alice returned the witch's wink with a powerful glare. "Odds, clearly it was an attempted assau-"

"Y-You got it wrong!" Hiromu cut in, furiously blushing. "I would n-never do something like that. N-not to you..."

Hiromu's voice trailed off, but Marisa caught his last few words. "Oh, and what does that imply?"

"E-eh?" Hiromu took a second before he could reply. "N-nothing, of course."

At this point, Hiromu's crimson face surpassed Alice and was noticeably looking at the ceiling.

Alice, realizing where this was going, and wanting to move on to more pressing matters, changed the subject.

"So what now?

Hiromu quickly looked at Alice. "Uh, what?"

Annoyed, Alice replied. "What do you do now? You're an outsider, right?"

An outsider. Yeah, Marisa called him that too. An outsider who unknowingly stumbled into Gensokyo, the land of illusions. Hiromu had no idea how it all happened. From the countless Touhou fanfic he had read, the protagonists were usually gapped in by Yukari. Unlike them, however, his arrival was different.

_But that would make my departure simple_.

"I need to go home," Hiromu said to the two, firmly decided.

"How?"

"Yukari can gap me home, no problem,"

Marisa was quite surprised at this. "Heh, you know Yukari?"

Oh, that's right, Hiromu thought. They doesn't know that they're actually a video game series outside. Hiromu opened his mouth to explain, but decided against it. Not that it would all make sense, and Hiromu thought the two wouldn't understand it no matter what he said. Let's just leave it to bad writing.

"That doesn't matter. Yukari would be able take me home,"

"True. The question is, is she willing?"

That question dropped a bomb on Hiromu's mind. According to the fanfictions, Yukari gapped in the protagonist on her whim, and almost none of them ever return home. Not that any one of them wanted to, anyway.

Hiromu wouldn't have none of that. He was just a normal college student, trying to pursue a career in psychology. He wasn't destined for something great. Being a hero wasn't his first career choice when he left high school. And as much as he wants to confess his love to Alice right this second, he would most likely be kicked out of her house and be left wandering the forest until he gets eaten by Rumia, or something.

Short summary: Hiromu Kuze just wanted to return to his normal life.

"I want to go home," he said, finally.

The puppeteer and the witch observed him for a minute. Finally, Marisa said, "Alright then, let's take you to Reimu. Chances are, Yukari's with her now."

Nodding, Hiromu stood up. Grabbing the broom beside her, Marisa Kirisame headed for the doorway

Before they could head out, Alice stood and joined them.

Hiromu was honestly surprised by this. He thought the puppeteer would be glad to have him out on the way.

"Don't get me wrong," Alice said, a faint blush visible on her cheek. "I just don't want you to get attacked and injured again. It'd be a pain taking care of you again."

_A tsundere, huh_? Hiromu thought, smiling. _Just my type_.

Alice wasn't a mind reader, but she knew exactly what Hiromu was thinking.

"It's not like that at all!" Alice cried. Beside her, Shanghai was in 'stab mode'.

"I get it, I get it!"

"Alright, let's head out, ze~" Marisa said, turning the metal doorknob.

Hiromu squinted as the sunlight of the rising morning sun shined down on him, and his unknown future.

Well, time to go home.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, I wasn't planning to post an update, but since tomorrow's my birthday, I figure why not?<strong>

**I apologize for any grammar mistakes as my english has really gotten rusty.**

**Next chapter will have a fight scene, which hopefull will be as good as I intend it to be.**

**Until next time.**


	3. Igniting The Flames

**Igniting The Flames**

The Forest of Magic. A focal point for all things evil, ominous, and repulsive. Shrouded in mystery, whose true nature is clouded by the supernatural, horrible misfortune will surely befall anyone who will traverse the forest.

Hiromu Kuze is clearly not amused.

Sweat trickled down his forehead as the young college student, together with the ordinary black witch Marisa and rainbow puppeteer Alice, continued to trudge the dense forest. In all honesty, it hasn't been a long while since the three left the puppeteer's home, but Hiromu was clearly lacking in the stamina department. Hiromu's heavy breathing echoed throughout as Marisa and Alice begin to drift further away from him. It annoyed him how his fellow companions, both of whom were walking through the forest with no difficulty, paid little attention to his state. Eyes half closed, Hiromu forced his legs to move, but quickly fell to his knees as the last of his strength left him.

The sounds of the young man's heavy breathing were replaced by a loud rumble, which too echoed throughout the forest.

Hiromu's companions must have heard the sound of his stomach rumbling, as they were now quickly rushing to his side.

"Sheesh, down and out already?" Alice was the first to speak.

"We haven't even gotten far yet, ze~" Marisa followed. "I could still see Alice's house a bit from here."

"Shut up," Hiromu tried to yell at the two, but could only mutter. "You know I haven't eaten anything since I came here, right?"

Hiromu's breakfast, a piece of leftover pizza from last night, has been thoroughly digested by his stomach. All the excitement in the last few hours has quickly drained his energy.

Marisa scanned the area, and grinned. "Alright, then. Let me gather up some of my favorite mushrooms from around here. I know this place like the back of my hand."

Before Hiromu and Alice could interject, the witch was on her merry way to collect the fungus treat.

An awkward silence filled the air; the puppeteer and the kneeling college student neither saying a word. Now that he thought about it, Hiromu hasn't had a full conversation with any of the other two. Hiromu scratched the back of his head, trying to come up with a topic to converse with, and winced when his hand made contact with painful lump from before.

"You alright?" Alice said casually, noticing the young man's reaction.

"Y-yeah," Hiromu affirmed. "I thought that it would have healed by now, but I guess not."

"Let me see," Alice said, approaching Hiromu from behind. Alice brushed aside some of the injured boy's black hair. 'Hmm, it's still swollen. It could use more ice."

Alice placed her hands on her hips, and said in a scolding manner, "We shouldn't have left so quickly. It's not wise to rush ahead with an injury."

Hiromu, surprised by the puppeteer's concern for his well-being, apologized. "I'm sorry. I just really want to go back home now."

"Why? Is Gensokyo really that horrible of a place?"

Hiromu's eyes widened. He hadn't expect that from Alice. The thought of Gensokyo being the same as hell didn't actually crossed his mind.

"No, not at all!" Hiromu quickly refuted. "It's a nice place, surrounded all aside by nature. The air is clean, and the scenery is absolutely beautiful. It's just..."

Hiromu paused, not even sure of what he wanted to say. Alice continued to remain silent, waiting for the young man to continue.

"I also know that Gensokyo is a dangerous place. And while I do have this strange ability, I'm not sure if I can survive another day here."

From Hiromu's limited knowledge, the population of Gensokyo is largely consisted of youkai, some harmless while others just downright hostile. The miniscule amount of humans could be found in a village, but Hiromu knew better than that. He could hardly fit the society of the outside world, so the idea of settling with the humans in Gensokyo was already out of the question.

Alice wanted to question further, but a nagging thought of another subject formed her next question, "This ability of yours, just what is it?"

Hiromu wondered that, too. From what he has experienced so far, all forms of magic was quickly negated by his right hand.

By his _right hand_...

A look of utter disbelief flashed on his face, which the sharp puppeteer noticed.

Hiromu ignored Alice, choosing to remain silent. He had a vague idea of what his ability was, but he hoped to God or Yukari or whatever that he was wrong.

_Well, why don't we give it a try?_

Turning to his companion, Hiromu asked, "Listen, could you bring out Shanghai? There's something I want to try."

Alice, curious to know what Hiromu was up to, complied and brought out her faithful friend. From where the doll came out of, Hiromu didn't want to know.

"Now what?"

"Have Shanghai sit on my left hand."

The doll floated from its master's side and on to Hiromu's held out palm.

Nothing happened.

Hiromu then placed his right hand on the doll's head, as if to pet her. In an instant, the seemingly alive Shanghai from before went limp right before the two's eyes.

"W-what the-"

"I knew it," Hiromu sighed, exasperated at his luck. Of all the powers and abilities he could have, it _had _to be this one.

"Knew what?" Alice asked, curious.

Hiromu sighed once more before turning to the puppeteer.

"Imagine Breaker."

The ability that resided in one's right hand, capable of negating any supernatural phenomenon. It was the power that resided in the right of hand of Kamijou Touma, protagonist of the To Aru Majutsu no Index light novels, of which Hiromu was a huge fan of. For some reason, the fictional ability was real and was in his possession.

Hiromu couldn't believe it. To him, this was all like a badly written fanfiction.

Hiromu continued to gaze at his right hand. His thoughts were interrupted when Alice asked about the unfamiliar name.

"Imagine Break has the ability to negate any supernatural phenomenon, whether it be magic or divine."

Alice, taken aback by the boy's explanation, asked, "An ability to nullify magic? That's insane."

Hiromu nodded, but a look of disappointment flashed on his face.

"Indeed, here in Gensokyo, where the supernatural is all around, Imagine Breaker is truly a terrifying ability," Hiromu mused. "However, there is a flaw."

"A flaw?"

Hiromu nodded. "The negation is only limited to the right hand."

Alice, realizing what this meant, said, "So if you were hit by a danmaku in any other part of your body...?"

"It will hurt like hell."

Hiromu clenched his fist, deep in thought. His mind tried to explain how he came in possession fo a fictional character's ability, but failed. Hiromu noticed no signs of having imagine Breaker back in the outside world. Then again, it was not like there was a random magician firing danmaku at him all the time.

The leaves of the enchanted forest rustled, as a gust of wind blew. The rays of the sun high above the clouds was unable to penetrate the dense, thick forest. The shadows casted by the large trees loomed around the two; an eerie silence surrounded them. Neither the puppeteer nor the illusion killer uttered a single world.

If Gensokyo proved the existence of the supernatural, what did Imagine Breaker's existence proved?

* * *

><p>Marisa Kirisame brushed away the branches and leaves blocking her path. The Forest of Magic was as thick as ever, which is why the magician opted to fly all the time. However, the bespectacled college student she was travelling with was uneasy with the thought of flying through the air on a flimsy piece of wood. Marisa almost added another lump to the college student's head for insulting her beloved broomstick.<p>

_Damn, where the hell am I_, Marisa thought. In her one hand was a basket full of mushrooms, which she picked for Hiromu. Inside were red-and-white polka-dotted toadstools, which reminded the magician of a certain shrine maiden.

That certain shrine maiden continued to remain in her thoughts. Marisa hasn't visited her old friend and fellow youkai exterminator for some time. Her research to increase her prowess as a magician has kept her from contact with anyone at all. The Seven Colored Puppeteer, worried for the magician's well-being, invited her for dinner at the latter's house. Upon seeing Alice's cooking, however, Marisa promptly slammed the door shut in Alice's face. The ordinary magician regretted doing so, and swore to never do it again

_But seriously, though. Alice's cooking was horrible, as always. _

While Marisa considered her treatment of Alice was wrong, she felt right about leaving the puppeteer's house. Otherwise, she wouldn't have discovered the little gem she happened to come across with.

Hiromu Kuze. An enigmatic entity, one shrouded in mysteries. An outsider, who suspiciously know a lot about Gensokyo. Where he obtained that knowledge from, Marisa had no idea. What Marisa had her head scratching, however, wasn't Hiromu's arrival or anything. Rather, it was his unknown ability that got her interested.

_If I remember right, he brought down Shanghai and dispelled Alice's magic like it was nothing._

Marisa wondered what would have happened next had Hiromu was a bit more fortunate with the tree.

The ordinary magician shook her head, gathering her thoughts. She ought to finish the task at hand. Taking a quick peek in the basket, she had collect about a dozen or so mushrooms. Marisa decided to pick a couple more before heading back.

Walking past among the trees, Marisa had her head focused on the ground, searching for any remaining toadstools she might have missed. Finally, she found a couple hidden behind a large white rock. As she picks up the red-and-white mushrooms, an extraordinary loud crackle erupted not far from where she was. Marisa nearly drops the mushrooms, startled by the sudden noise. A couple more erupted, followed by a series of blinding flashes of light. Marisa caught a whiff of smoke from where the noise was heard. It wasn't long before the magician noticed the orange glow of light from within the forest.

_A wildfire?_

Not wasting any more time, Marisa quickly rushed into the ever glowing orange light.

* * *

><p>Daiyousei had no idea what to do.<p>

It should have been a normal day for the great fairy. A simple, ordinary day. Daiyousei hadn't expected anything at all to happen to her today. She had woken up early, and met up with a certain ice fairy shortly after. She expected a day of playing around the lake of the ginormous mansion, and perhaps fooling around with their fellow fairies and other youkai. She had done this day after day, with nothing special or unique happening. Daiyousei would then turn in for the night after a day filled with nothing but fun.

So why had this particular day turned out to be so horrible, and perhaps, even tragic?

Daiyousei's short green hair flowed against the wind. The yellow ribbon she would normally tie it with had been burned to ashes. Her blue dress with white trim and sleeves were scorched, particularly around the area of the skirt. Her once beautiful golden wings had burns all over it as well.

Beside the great fairy, lying on the dirt ground, was the ice fairy Cirno. Eyes closed, the ice fairy's unnatural heavy breathing indicated she wasn't faring well. Her messy aqua-colored hair covered most of her face. Cirno's light pink blouse and blue jumper dress were even more scorched than Daiyousei's. The ice fairy's icicle-shaped wings were shattered, some broken in half while the others were in total pieces. Varying degrees of burn were all over her horribly injured body.

Daiyousei slowly floated beside her friend to check up on her, but collapsed on her knees as her strength slowly leaves her. She put her hand on Cirno's chest, and a faint smile appeared on her face. She breathed a sigh of relief, happy to know that her friend was still alive and breathing.

Fire raged around the two fairies. Daiyousei squinted her eyes, having difficulty with her vision as the orange light grow brighter. The immense heat had quickly drained them of their fluids. Daiyousei was worried that the flames would drive Cirno to her death. Taking up the ice fairy's right arm on her shoulder for support, Daiyousei helped Cirno to her feet. Daiyousei looked around her, looking for an escape past the wall of flames. Her emerald eyes darted all round before widening in fear of what she saw.

A malevolent shadow slowly approaches the two. The wall of flame was the only thing that separated the two fairies and the silhouette. The shadow, which had a humanoid form, was engulfed in flash of blue light. Lightning struck the spot a few feet away from where the fairies were standing, and the mysterious figure appeared right before them. Daiyousei lowered the arm she used to cover herself from the blinding light, and had a good view of their assailant.

A boy of adolescent age stood before the two fairies. He had unruly blonde hair, and shining blue eyes. He was dressed in a purple fur jacket, underneath was a yellow shirt. Black jeans and sheepskin boots completed his appearance. His hands were covered in black leather gloves that left his fingers exposed.

Despite his bizarre appearance, the menacing boy looked intimidating in the greater fairy's eyes.

"Trying to run, huh?" The boy said in a casual voice, his hands in the pockets of his fur jacket. His eyes turned to the ice fairy leaning on Daiyousei. "You would have higher chance of escaping if you leave that baggage behind."

"As if I could do such a thing!" Daiyousei growled, her eyes filled with fury. "I'll protect my friend with my life!"

The blonde held a mocking grin. "Suit yourself then."

The boy raised his arm, his index finger pointing at the two fairies. Tears began to stream down Daiyousei's eyes. She knew she had no chance against their foe. None of her attacks even came close to hitting him. Cirno's spell cards were ineffective as well.

Nonetheless, Daiyousei stood her ground. She was afraid, sure. She never even thought that her death would come today. She could have escaped if she only had left Cirno behind, just like what the boy said.

Abandoning her friends, however, wasn't Daiyousei's style.

She would rather face death in the face, than live on knowing she left behind the only one who truly understood her to death.

From beside her, the barely conscious Cirno spoke, "Dai-chan. Leave...me..."

The voice was barely audible, but amidst the crackling of the flames, Cirno's soft whisper was heard.

Daiyousei turned to the ice fairy, to her best friend. "You...really are...an idiot."

Daiyousei closed her eyes, and awaited her cruel fate.

The sounds of gathering energy could be heard from the blonde boy. Blue sparks of electricity emitted from all around him. A single bluish white orb formed at the tips of his index finger.

"Ready?"

Daiyousei remained silent. She clenched her fists, both of her hands trembling.

A loud rumble exploded in the air as an arc of lightning shot from the boy's finger and headed straight at his target.

A few seconds passed. Daiyousei felt nothing but the heat emanating from the flames.

She opened her eyes, wondering what had happened.

A barrier of colorful stars shielded Daiyousei from the boy's attack. On the other side, Daiyousei could see a smoldering crater from the resulting explosion of the lightning strike.

"Woah, that was close, ze~"

_This voice, it's familiar,_ Daiyousei thought.

Looking up, the great fairy saw a familiar figure. A witch sitting casually on her broomstick, floating high in the air.

Daiyousei nearly burst into tears, but managed to smile.

Marisa Kirisame returned the great fairy's smile with a wink. "You have a lot of guts protecting your friend like that. I like that, ze~"

"Who are you," the blonde boy asked in a bored tone of voice. His eyebrows were raised, indicating his surprise.

"That's what I should be asking you," Marisa said, slowly descending in front of Daiyousei. "But I guess it wouldn't hurt."

"Marisa Kirisame, an ordinary magician!" The witch proudly announced, puffing out her chest. "Pleased to meet you!"

Before her enemy could say a word, Marisa yelled out, "Get down!"

Daiyousei's instinct followed, and proceeded to get Cirno and her on the ground. A powerful blast of pure magical energy shot from above her. Without looking away, Marisa fired off her signature Master Spark right behind her.

"Now run!" Marisa shouted back. Daiyousei didn't even looked back as she picked up Cirno in her arms and ran through the hole in the wall of flames Marisa made. The two fairies managed to successfully get away as they ran deep into the forest.

The blonde boy whistled. "That was quite powerful. The people here sure are something."

Marisa carefully pondered the boy's words, then said, "You're an outsider?"

"Correct," the blonde said. Without warning, he flicked his finger and an arc of blue lightning shot out, aimed at the witch.

Marisa scooted to her right, easily dodging the attack.

The blonde clapped his hands, amused at his opponent. "That was impressive, You're fast, aren't you."

"Thanks for the compliment."

The blonde smirked, flicking his finger again. "Then how about this?"

Expecting another lightning strike, Marisa readied herself. However, nothing came out of the blonde's finger. Blue sparks of electricity surrounded Marisa, and before she could move, was instantly electrified. The witch fell to the ground, parts of her dress burned.

"Not as fast as I thought," the blonde remarked.

_Where did that come from? _Marisa thought, utterly shocked by the pain.

Marisa slowly stood, looking rather weak. That was the first time she had been hit by anything other than danmaku. The pain was incredible. Shaking it off, she reached into her pocket, and pulled out her weapon.

"Magic Sign, 'Milky Way'!"

The blonde found himself surrounded in a spiral of stars. The sizes varied: some were as small as a stone, while others as large as a house.

The blonde, however, stood still, paying his opponent's attack no heed.

_Wh-what's he doing? _Marisa thought.

The stars were closing in on him now. Just as Marisa expected the blonde to be hit, the stars were destroyed by a barrier of electricity. The boy had no need to move, as none of the stars even touched him. The ground around him were obliterated, leaving the small space where the boy stood intact.

"This is a spell card? How disappointing," the blonde said, shrugging.

Marisa stared in disbelief. _How the heck-_

Another arc of lightning shot out from the boy, this time the same as the one Marisa dodged. The attack was linear and quite simple. All she had to do was move to the side and-

"GAH!" Marisa shouted in pain as the lightning arc she dodged turned around and hit her in the back.

"Not expecting that, did you?"

This was bad. Marisa had been struck by lightning twice now. Her clothes were smoldering all over. Her broomstick was seared and Marisa feared it would snap if she tried to fly away.

Panting, Marisa tried to buy some time. The flames have spread quite far in the forest. With any luck, Alice and Hiromu would have noticed it by now. They should be making their way here and arrive any second.

"Just who are you, and what are you trying to do?" Marisa asked with some difficulty. From what she could see, the boy appeared to be another outsider.

"Oh my, where are my manners?" The boy said. "Let me introduce myself. I am Thor, the God of Thunder."

Marisa stared at him blankly. What did he say?

"As for what I'm doing, well, I'm forbidden to talk about it," Thor said, paying no attention to the confused witch. "However, you could say I'm burning down this forest?"

Marisa couldn't find any words to say. She thought the boy's name to be familiar, as she read some books from the outside world from a certain library. Thor was a legendary god of Norse mythology, reigning over thunder. Marisa could hardly believe that same god is standing before her right now.

"Wait, burn down this forest?" Marisa asked.

"Yeah, that's right," Thor nodded. "This particular place is in the way of our plan, you see. My job is to raze this enchanted forest to the ground."

_'Our' plan, huh? _Marisa thought, picking up every word the god said. _So there's more of them?_

"Raze the forest to the ground, huh?"

"Yup, igniting the flames of war," Thor said, looking around the sea of fire surrounding them as if he was admiring an artwork.

_W-war? _Marisa shuddered.

"By the way," Thor continued, cutting off the witch's thoughts. "Did you happen to see a pink haired little girl around? She's with me, you see."

Marisa shook her head.

"Oh, okay," Thor then finally noticed the witch's silence. "Oh, you've gone suddenly quiet. How come?"

Marisa paused, as something had been bugging her for a while now. She asked, "You're seriously Thor, the God of Thunder?"

"Hm?" Thor cocked his head to the side. "Yes, I am. Is it really that hard to believe?"

Marisa could only stare at the fur jacket wearing teenager in front of her.

"Th-then what the heck are you doing in Gensokyo?"

"I already told you, I'm not allowed to speak about it," Thor asked, raising his arm. "Your questions are quite annoying. I think I'll just shut you up now."

And with that, he raised his arm up high. Marisa took a step back, unsure if she should run or fight.

The sky flashed once, then twice, and a thousand bolts of lightning struck down on the witch.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, my first OC villain. Well, not exactly OC. As some of you may have guessed, Thor was inspired by the character of the same name of the To Aru series. In fact, most of the villains are inspired from that light novel. <strong>

**I'm just oozing with originality...**

**I will, however, try to portray my Thor differently from the To Aru one. Hopefully, I'll succeed.**

**To be honest, I'm not quite sure about this chapter. I have zero confidence in my abilities as a writer, and frankly I thought the fight scene was boring beyond words. **

**I'll try to improve as much as I can as I really want this fanfic to by first successful one. Perhaps I may even redo this one should it prove boring to anyone else.  
><strong>

**Next chapter, we'll shift our focus on Hiromu and Alice, and perhaps finish the fight between Marisa and Thor. I'll try to make it better than this one.**

**Until next time.**


	4. My Right Hand

**My Right Hand**

Despite the thick foliage and numerous trees of the forest shielding anyone who traverse in it from the rays of the sun, the heat still pervaded the relatively humid air. The shadows casted by the trees, along with the dense air of the early morning, made one's vision severely hindered.

The lone girl, however, would not be deterred.

She was still a child, around 10 years of age. Her long, pink hair, tied in a twintails fashion, trailed behind her as the little girl ran through the forest. She was dressed quite strange for someone travelling in the forest. A brown, fluffy fur coat covered most of her petite body ending down on her knees. Fur boots of the same color protected the little girl's feet.

The twintailed girl continued to run through the woods, her eyes carefully observing her surroundings. Her head kept turning left and right, frantically searching for her separated companion.

The local inhabitants of the magical forest hadn't noticed the little girl yet. Not that they could, anyway. The little girl, with her ability, sensed and released electromagnetic waves around her, enlarging her field of vision greatly. This allowed her to sense and evade the youkai of the Forest of Magic. Since the little girl, despite her abilities, had no real power to fight and protect herself, she relied on her intelligence to survive. It had worked, since she was still breathing.

The twintailed girl had been running for quite some time. She wasn't alone in the first place. She had been separated from her master after a certain event took place. That certain event, which was her master having far too much fun in his job, infuriated her greatly. The girl had long tolerated her master's thirst for destruction, given the legendary figure her master represented, but to leave his faithful servant behind to hunt down the two fairies which were his prey was, to the pink twintailed girl, downright unforgivable.

The little girl, thoroughly exhausted and starving, slowed down and stopped to catch her breath. She planned to give her master a good scolding. No way in hell would she just let this one slide. Even though she knew that her words would be wasted, her master could use an earful for leaving her behind.

Her plans to vent her frustration on her callous master was interrupted when her ears picked up the voices from just ahead. Concentrating, she sensed the presence of two people a few meters away from her. Taking note of a large boulder nearby, she decided to hide behind it and observe the two.

If they were youkai, she would sneak past them. If they were human, however, she'll try and ask for their help. They might even have food with them, and give her some. Hell, they may even know a settlement nearby and take her there.

Carefully stepping behind the large boulder, the little girl took a peek and listened in on their conversation.

They were two of them, the little girl confirmed. One was a young man, a bit older than her master. He had short, black hair and eyes; his features indicating he was a mix of east and west. He wore thick, black framed glasses, and even then his eyes squinted whenever he looked at something far. The young man wore clothes the pink, twintailed girl recognized. A school uniform, albeit tattered and dirty, depicted that he was not a resident of this world.

_A fellow outsider, huh?_ The twintailed girl noted.

Conversing with the young man was a blonde woman, again older than the eavesdropping girl's master. Sitting on a log of wood, dressed in a light blue dress with pink ribbons, a small red-clothed doll sat on her lap. The twintailed girl figured the doll to be cute, but sensed something ominous about it.

What was more ominous than the doll was the young man himself. The twintailed girl couldn't place it, but there was something dangerous about him. Even now where she was hidden, she didn't dare approach him.

The twintailed girl shook her head. This was no time for ambivalence. The two didn't seem hostile, and she bet they would be friendly enough to help a little girl like her. Besides, she promised herself to scold her master responsible for the mess she was in.

Stepping out of her hiding place, she raised her arms above her head, and cautiously approached the two.

The short, blonde haired woman was the first to notice. She stood up, her fingers making movements, and in an instant, any army of dolls surrounded the little girl. The young man, who was oblivious to the twintailed girl's presence, was surprised at the puppeteer's actions. He turned his head, noticed the little girl still surrounded by the dolls, and frowned at the puppeteer.

"What are you doing?" The young man told the puppeteer. "She's just a little girl. There's no need-"

"You don't know that!" The puppeteer snapped back, cutting off the young man in mid-sentence. "She could be a youkai for all we know."

"Just calm down and let me handle this," The young man said, motioning for the puppeteer to lower her guard. When it seemed like the blonde woman wouldn't call back her dolls, the young man sighed and put his right hand on the puppeteer's shoulder. The army of dolls dropped like flies as their source of magic was cut off.

"W-wha-?" The puppeteer stammered, having forgotten her companion's ability.

Imagine Breaker. The ability residing in the young man's right hand, capable of negating any supernatural phenomenon, whether it be magic or divine. An ability that is to be reckoned with, considering Gensokyo was a paradise for the supernatural.

That is, if it only wasn't limited to his right hand.

The young man sighed, his disappointment showing on his face. He really wish he had received a different ability. Perhaps, he would even stay a bit longer in Gensokyo if he had reliable ability to protect himself.

He finally turned his attention to the little girl, who was apparently quivering in fright. The young man thought that it wasn't an act, and approached the little girl to calm her down.

The little girl took a step back when the young man reached out to her.

"Don't be scared," The young man said. "We won't hurt you."

The little girl had noticed the young man's action earlier, and knew that his concern for her was genuine. What frightened her, however, was his right hand. With a single touch, the magic energy feeding the dolls the little girl sensed disappeared. If the little girl was nervous a while ago, she was downright scared now.

"Y-your hand," the frightened girl said in a low voice. "Please keep it away."

"Eh?" The young man then had a vague idea of what the girl was so scared of. "Oh, sorry."

"It's alright," the little girl said.

Now that she had calmed down, the young man decided it was time for introductions. "I'm Hiromu Kuze. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too!" The little girl said, giving off a cheerful smile.

Hiromu turned to the puppeteer, "And this here's-"

"Alice Margatroid, the Seven Coloured Puppeteer," An annoyed Alice said. Apparently, the puppeteer wasn't happy with Hiromu getting all friendly with the little girl.

Though what the reason could be, Hiromu had no idea.

"What were you doing all by yourself?" Hiromu asked.

The little girl turned to Hiromu, "Well, I wasn't really alone. I got separated from my master in the middle of our assignment."

That explanation caught Hiromu and Alice somewhat off guard. "Wait, your master?"

"That's right," the twintailed girl confirmed. "Though I've always been faithful to him and respected his enthusiasm for work, his insensitivity has really pissed me off this time!"

Having this said, the twintailed girl pouted, which Hiromu found to be adorable.

"You haven't by any chance seen him?" The twintailed girl asked.

"We don't even know him or what he looks like," Alice said, still annoyed. "How would you expect us to know?"

"Oh, that's right," the twintailed girl said innocently. "Well, he's-"

Before the the girl could continue, the sounds of rushing footsteps could be heard. The three turned their heads to the source of the noise.

From out of the shadows, two figure came out. They appeared to be fairies, both horribly burned and injured. The on who was running, a fairy with green hair and golden wings, carried another fairy on her arms. The more injured fairy had aqua-coloured hair and dressed in a light pink blouse and blue jumper dress.

As the two approached Hiromu and company, he recognized who the two of them were.

The great fairy Daiyousei and the ice fairy Cirno.

Alice called out the two, and in no time Daiyousei, carrying Cirno, made haste to them.

Hiromu took Cirno off Daiyousei and settled the ice fairy resting against a large boulder. Daiyousei, exhausted, collapsed on her knees. Alice took out a canteen of water and handed it to Daiyousei. The great fairy accepted it gladly and drank down the water in two huge gulps.

Hiromu surveyed the two fairies, confused. The two fairies were hurt beyond words. The ice fairy alone, with varying degree of burns on her body, made Hiromu choke up. Was something like this normal in Gensokyo? From what Hiromu know from the games, the spell card rules were made so that youkari and humans could fight on equal grounds and that needless death would be avoided. So how could something like this happen?

Hiromu check on Cirno's pulse, and was glad it was still there. The ice fairy was barely conscious as she spoke, startling Hiromu, "D-Dai..you..sei.."

"Hold on," Hiromu said, taking out his own bottle of water in his school bag. Cirno took small sips from the bottle, which was all the ice fairy could manage with what remaining strength she had left.

"Cirno...," Daiyousei said weakly.

"Th..Thank you..." The ice fairy expressed her gratitude to her saviour, before sliding into unconsciousness.

"O-of course," Daiyousei said, her voice growing weaker. "You're my...friend..."

The twintailed girl observed all this silently with an unreadable expression.

* * *

><p>"Someone attacked you for no reason, you say?" Alice said, deep in thought.<p>

"That's right," Daiyousei nodded.

The great fairy, having rested, began telling the three the events of what happened. Cirno remained asleep against the large boulder with the twintailed girl keeping watch. Occasionally, the twintailed girl would offer the ice fairy water from Hiromu's bottle, to which Cirno would gladly accept.

The illusion killer and the puppeteer sat across Daiyousei, who was sitting on a log of wood, listening to her account of their ordeal.

"I thought it would just be an ordinary day," Daiyousei continued. "Cirno was bored playing at the ice lake, and decided to head to the Forest of Magic. I followed her, as I always do."

"It wasn't long before we crossed paths with him. He was a strange fellow, dressed in clothes one would not normally see. I figured he wasn't from around here. Anyways, the boy flicked his fingers, and lightning shot out from his fingertips, burning the trees all round him."

Having heard this, the twintailed girl raised her eyebrows, which went by unnoticed by the others.

"Cirno saw this, and as typical of her, challenged him to a duel. We expected a danmaku battle but.." Daiyousei paused, trying her best to remember the traumatic events.

"He raised his fingers again, and lightning shot out and struck Cirno. He attacked her again and again before I finally stepped in but.."

"I was no match against him."

Hiromu gulped, his breathing becoming heavier as he listens to the great fairy's tale. While Cirno and Daiyousei were only fairies, they were still more powerful than an ordinary human like Hiromu. Hearing someone hurt them both so badly without using danmaku was...

"How did you escape?" Alice asked.

That was a good question. If he was that powerful, how could the two fairies escape with their injuries.

"Oh, that's right!" Daiyousei finally recalled. "Marisa helped us!"

"Wh-what!?"

Hiromu was surprised, while Alice looked fearful.

"She protected us from the attack, and cleared a path for us to escape."

"Where was she?" Hiromu asked.

Daiyousei pointed to her right, the direction of where the two fairies came from. Above, a towering smoke could be seen, and the darkness ahead was lit by faint glow of orange light.

Hiromu cursed himself for not noticing it earlier.

"That idiot," Alice said, gritting her teeth.

The puppeteer quickly stood and began to run, but was caught on the wrist by Hiromu.

"Wait, where do you think you're going?"

"Let go, damn it!"

Hiromu struggled to keep the puppeteer from running off to danger. Alice tried to summon her dolls to free herself, but realized Hiromu grabbed her with his right hand, negating Alice's magic.

"Just calm down," Hiromu said.

"Calm down!?" Alice shouted in frustration. "Did you see what he did to these two fairies? Who knows what had happened to Marisa!"

"Marisa's strong; she wouldn't be defeated so easily." Hiromu argued.

"Didn't you listen to the great fairy? It's clear the enemy doesn't follow the spell card rules. Marisa's an expert in danmaku, but against an opponent like that-"

"SO WHAT? YOU'RE GOING OUT THERE AND COMPLICATE THINGS FOR HER?"

Hiromu's unnaturally loud voice echoed throughout the forest. Alice stopped moving, and slowly turned to Hiromu, her expression was that of great surprise.

"I am worried for her too!" Hiromu continued, his voice hoarse. "But we can't just head out there without a plan. We need think rationally here. If we act on our emotions, these two fairies and Marisa may not only be the ones who will get hurt.

Hiromu knew all to well just how acting on emotions could endanger the lives of others. He has experience in that sort of thing. All of them were unpleasant and he would rather forget about them. But he was taught that one could learn from past mistakes, and Hiromu swore to himself to always act on logic.

Alice's breathing slowed down, her shoulders slumped. Seeing the puppeteer finally calm, Hiromu released his grip. The puppeteer rubbed her wrist, which Hiromu unknowingly gripped tightly. Seeing this, Hiromu quickly apologized.

"No, it's fine," Alice said, shrugging off the young man's apology. "You were right. I wasn't thinking clearly."

Hiromu nodded, then turned his attention to Daiyousei and Cirno. "We need to get these two immediate medical attention."

"We can take them to Eientei," Alice said. "The doctor would know what to do."

Eientei, that's right, Hiromu thought. Eirin Yagokoro was a skilled doctor. She would surely be able to help the two fairies.

"Alright, that settles it, then," Hiromu said. "You take these two to Eirin, while I go check up on Marisa."

"Oka- Wait, what!?" Alice said, dumbfounded. "Are you an idiot?"

"Huh?"

Alice nearly facepalmed herself.

"What do you mean, 'check up on Marisa'? What are you going to do when you get there?" Alice asked, frustrated. "You're not exactly a fighter, you know."

"True," Hiromu said. "But I can't possibly take two injured people with me out of the forest, let alone reach Eientei. With your dolls, getting them help would be faster."

That...actually made sense. Alice looked at the two fairies. Daiyousei was now lying on the log of wood, while Cirno, albeit stable, continued to breathe heavily.

"But..still," Alice said, searching for words to argue with. None came out.

Hiromu placed a hand on the puppeteer's shoulder. "Everything will be fine. If Marisa's unconscious, I'll stealthily grab her and take her to safety before that lightning bastard could notice. If she is conscious, I'll distract the bastard so she can escape."

"Your hand is trembling," Alice said. "That's not exactly reassuring, you know."

"It's just hunger, that's all," Hiromu said, scratching his cheek. He wasn't a gold medalist when it comes to making excuses.

"Very well," Alice murmured, taking the boy's right hand in her own. "Make sure you come back alive with Marisa. I'll cook you up a storm when you do."

Hiromu beamed. "I'm looking forward to that."

Alice nodded, reassuring herself more than Hiromu. Taking out Shanghai and her dolls, she picked up Daiyousei in her arms, while the dolls carefully helped up Cirno.

Without a word, the puppeteer and the dolls, along with the two fairies, took off.

_They'll be safe. They'll be safe. They'll be safe, _Alice thought, chanting to herself.

Alice and her dolls soon were out of Hiromu's field of vision.

_Alright, let's-_

"I'm coming with you," A voice shouted, making Hiromu jump.

He turned his attention behind, and discovered that the pink, twintailed girl stayed behind.

"Wait, what are you still doing here?" Hiromu asked, scratching his head.

"I said I'm coming with you!"

Hiromu sighed. "You know, where I'm going isn't exactly safe."

"I'm still coming with you!" The twintailed girl said, unrelenting.

Hiromu looked at the direction Alice left. They were quite far away now. The little girl couldn't possibly catch up to them now, and the last thing Hiromu needed was a lost little girl in an enchanted burning forest.

He sighed deeply, then said, "Alright, fine. Let's go."

With that, Hiromu took off, the twintailed girl following right behind him, towards the towering smoke.

"Oh, right. I never caught your name." Hiromu said, turning to the twintailed girl.

"Oh, yeah," The little girl said.

"My name...is Mjölnir,"

* * *

><p>Thor stood still, his mouth hung open. This was the second time Gensokyo has surprised him.<p>

The people here sure are something, alright.

The God of Thunder himself wasn't sure what happened. He thought for sure that his enemy has been defeated. After all, who could possibly received a thousand bolt of lightning and live to tell the tale?

The person before him, however, was either incredibly lucky or incredibly powerful.

Thor had been interrupted in the middle of his assignment, which was to burn the Forest of Magic to ashes. During in the middle of it, Thor encountered two fairies who challenged him to a fight. Needless to say, they were no match, and the two fairies quickly became his prey. A certain blonde haired witch intercepted his prey for reasons unknown. After aiding in the escape of his prey, the witch attacked him. She was impressive, Thor admitted, and she wielded amazing powers for an 'ordinary' magician. After a little scuffle, with the witch's incessant questioning, Thor decided to end the fight. He focused all his power, and sent down a thousand bolt of lightning down the witch. Thor was sure that was the end, and he could resume in his assignment.

However, another meddlesome pest decided to interrupt.

Marisa was on her knees, visibly weak but still conscious. In front of her, as if protecting the witch from all the dangers in the world, was a bespectacled black haired young man, slightly older than Thor. His right arm was raised above his head, which Thor assumed the lightning bolts struck. How they both managed to survived baffled the god.

In fact, that wasn't the only thing which confused him.

The area around the witch and bespectacled young man was undamaged. No burn, no smoke; there was nothing that indicated the lightning bolts did struck down.

It was as if the lightning bolts magically disappeared upon making contact with his right hand.

Thor was not amused.

"Ha, made it just in time," the boy said. "Though to be honest, that was pretty scary."

Marisa was no more surprised as Thor. "Hiromu? What are you doing here?"

"Rescuing you, of course," Hiromu said. "Just what kind of mess did you get yourself into?"

"Sorry," Marisa said. "I bet Alice was fuming, huh?"

"She was," Hiromu nodded. "Though I managed to calm her down and have her take the two fairies to Eirin."

"The two fairies? Oh, you mean-" Marisa said, recalling the two whom she saved.

"Yeah, Alice was reluctant at first." Hiromu continued. "But I promised her I would get you out of here myself, so here I am."

"Thanks, ze~"

"No problem. Alice promised me a great meal in return, so I'll definitely get you out of here."

Marisa gulped nervously. Knowing Alice's cooking, Hiromu would surely not be pleased with his 'reward'.

Nonetheless, Marisa appreciated Hiromu coming to his rescue.

Thor, silently listening to their conversation, flicked his finger, and lightning shot out and struck the ground a few feet away from the two.

"If I were you, I'd focus my attention right here," Thor said, smirking.

This certainly caught Hiromu's attention, and the young college student now faced the God of Thunder.

"Hiromu, he claims himself to be Thor. It appears he could manipulate lightning."

"Thor, you say?" Hiromu snorted. "What a fake."

Thor scowled. Apparently, he did not like some smartass kid calling him out like that.

Hiromu then whispered to the witch.

"Marisa, when I give you the signal, start running."

"W-what?" Marisa asked. Before she could do anything, however, Hiromu quickly dashed towards Thor.

"NOW!" Hiromu shouted, not looking back.

Marisa hesitated for a second, before she picked herself up and left Hiromu and his opponent behind.

"Oh? Sacrificing yourself?" Thor applauded. "How noble."

Thor flicked his finger, and a lightning bolt shot towards Hiromu.

The God of Thunder thought his enemy would dodge, and was ready to bend the lightning bolt and have him stuck his enemy from behind.

So Thor was surprised when, instead of dodging, Hiromu raised his right hand and casually slapped the lighting bolt away. It dissipated, leaving behind no trace of its existence.

"Sacrifice? Hell, no." Hiromu said, his voice low. Thor sent another lightning bolt at him.

But Hiromu just slapped it away like it was just a fly.

"I"M HERE TO KICK YOUR ASS!"

Thor was surprised. "A human like you, planning to bring down a god like me?"

Hiromu understood what he meant. He was just a normal human, an ordinary college student. There wasn't anything special about him. But would that reason alone have him just stand aside and watch? Would that be enough of a reason to let this bastard before him continue to hurt innocent and endanger the lives of others, all for the sake of whatever they were planning?

Of course, not.

Hiromu wasn't trying to be a hero, or anything grand like that. He was a normal person, with a strange right hand that could negate the supernatural. That was all it could do. His right hand wouldn't be able to fulfill his dream, bring back what he has lost, or help him return back home.

He could, however, use his right hand to punch this bastard.

Before Thor could do anything, Hiromu was already in front of him. Clenching his right hand, he swung his fist down the god's face.

The sound of glass shattering could be heard.

"That was for Cirno!"

Hiromu uppercutted Thor, rattling the thunder god's teeth.

Shattered glass echoed in Thor's mind.

"That was for Daiyousei!"

And again, clenching his right hand into a fist, delivered a right hook. Pang! The impact made Thor bit his lip.

That final blow sent Thor a few meters away, landing on the ground with a loud _thud._

"And that.. was for Marisa!"

Hiromu slowly approached Thor, cracking his knuckles. "Come on, get up. I'll show you how outclassed you are!"

Thor, still lying on the ground, smiled. He lick the blood off his lips, it's taste nostalgic for the god of thunder.

He hadn't had this much fun in years.

* * *

><p>Marisa brushed away the thick foliage of the forest with what remained of her broom. Despite the thunder god's attempt at burning it down, a large portion of it was still brimming with nature. The foliage grew thicker and thicker as she got further away from Hiromu.<p>

Marisa felt bad about leaving him behind. She wanted to stand beside him and fight. It wasn't her style to just leave the fight to someone else. Yet, she knew she stood no chance against the thunder god. Hiromu offered his help so she could escape, and Marisa merely accepted. Was that so wrong? Would it be her fault if the outsider died, fighting that god? Or would it be better if she died alongside Hiromu, satisfied in knowing she didn't abandon him to his death? Marisa thought it would be better if there less casualties-

No, that's wrong. Marisa slowed down and stopped running. So what if the enemy was more powerful than her? So what if there was zero chance of her and Hiromu surviving should she stay behind. She didn't care about that. Marisa would rather face death, than abandon anyone to their deaths. Especially someone like Hiromu, an innocent soul who decided to involve himself in this mess.

_Damn, I look pretty disgusting now, don't I?_

Marisa half turned towards the direction she was running from.

_Ah, what am I doing? I'm sure 'she' wouldn't do what I'm doing right now._

Marisa took a step forward, and stopped when she heard rustling among the bushes.

"GAH! WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GO!"

The shrill voice pierced Marisa's ears, which she promptly covered.

From the bushes out jumped a little girl wearing a brown fur coat with pink twintails.

"Ow, my ears," Marisa said.

"Eh? Who're you?" The twintailed girl asked.

"M-Marisa Kirisame. An ordinary-" The witch's voice trailed off as her ears continued to ring.

"Um, by any chance, have you seen a glasses wearing man run past here?"

_Glasses wearing...?_ Marisa could now form coherent thoughts as the pain subsided. "Wait, you mean Hiromu?"

"Yeah, yeah! That's him!" The twintailed girl shouted excitedly. "Where was he headed?"

"C-Calm down!" Marisa shouted back the little girl who was literally jumping for joy. "He went that way but..."

Before she could finish, twintails was already running off towards the scene of the fight.

"Wait! It's dangerous there, ze!" Marisa's words fell on deaf ears as twintails didn't stop running.

"Ah, damn it all!" Marisa cursed, then chased after the twintailed girl.

* * *

><p>Dust covered the battlefield as Thor and Hiromu continued to clash. The ground was thoroughly burned as the flames from earlier completely died down. Thor didn't mean to put them out, of course. He wanted to finish this assignment as fast as possible, after all. But it wasn't like Thor could stop his lightning from starting a new fire and put out the old ones. He would get quite a scolding from <em>her<em> once she found out he wasn't done with the job.

Thor gritted his teeth, utterly frustrated. A god of his standing should have no problem fighting this speck of dust before him. He was the god of thunder, the embodiment of power, and reigned over agriculture, weather, and terrain. Truly a legendary figure.

So why did blood continued to flow down his broken nose?

Hiromu blocked another lightning strike with his right hand, and proceeded to punch him in the stomach. Thor knelt down, clutching the area where he was hit. Not giving his enemy the chance to retaliate, Hiromu swung his right fist down the back of Thor's head, knocking him face flat to the ground.

Panting, Hiromu took a few steps back. His right hand ached, and he was also out of breath. He ought to rest for awhile.

"So, how about you tell me why you're burning down the forest?"

Thor remained lying on the ground, silent.

Just as Hiromu was about to ask again, the sounds of rushing footsteps caught his attention. He looked behind and was surprised to find Marisa and Mjölnir rushing to his side.

"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Mjölnir said this, not to Hiromu, but to Thor.

"Look at yourself, all beat up like that," Mjölnir said. "You ought to be ashamed."

Hiromu was dumbstruck. How could he not realize the connection between the name of the two?

"Your timing couldn't be worse," Thor finally said, sitting up. He raised his trembling hand, reaching out to the twintailed girl.

"Oh, so it's my fault?" Mjölnir said. "Well, I'll scold you later. Right now, it seems you could use a hand."

"Ha, thanks," Thor said, grinning.

Mjölnir then was suddenly enveloped in a bluish white field of light. Then, her body slowly disintegrated into tiny blue particles.

"Alright, Mjölnir, time to show your true self!" Thor shouted. The blue particles gathered into the god's hand.

"Human!" Thor called out to Hiromu. "You've had your little fun. But now, it's time to know your place!"

The gathered particles grew bigger and bigger until they were now five times Thor's size.

"Allow me to show you why I carry the title of Thor!"

The gathered particles erupted in a blinding flash of light, making Hiromu and Marisa shield their eyes.

The light slowly disappeared, and Hiromu lowered his arms.

His eyes, the sight before him forcing him to take a step back.

Thor stood there, showing his familiarl arrogant smile. On his right hand was a large concentrated mass of lightning, shaped in the form of a ginormous hammer. It's immense pressure cracking the ground below it.

Thor let out a maniacal laugh. "If a human as low as you thought that you could stand against a god like me..."

"You're a thousand years too early!" He swung Mjölnir down, thoroughly destroying the ground. A fissure erupted, heading towards the illusion killer and the witch. Hiromu and Marisa barely rolled out of the way just in time.

"AHAHAHAHAH! That's right, little human! Run! Run for your life!"

Thor swung back, preparing for another strike.

"Marisa, do it!" Hiromu shouted, clinging on to Marisa.

The ordinary witch didn't completely understood it, but she trusted her instincts anyway. Before the Mjölnir could hit the two of them, Marisa pulled out her Mini-Hakkero and fired her Master Spark at the ground, sending her and the clinging Hiromu high in the air.

Thor couldn't stop his momentum, and the lightning hammer clashed with the magic laser, resulting in an explosion that sent Thor tumbling away.

Still in the air, Hiromu adjusted his position. As he falls, he let gravity do the work for him, and aimed straight at Thor.

Thor managed to recover and, noticing Hiromu, prepared for yet another strike.

"You fool! That's right, fall down here so I can send you flying to your death!"

_That's what you think, _Hiromu thought as he descended down to the thunder god. _But my right hand says otherwise!_

Hiromu clenched his fist as Thor swung at him with all his might. His right hand made contact with Mjölnir, and the lightning hammer crackled.

Pang! The lightning hammer burst into a thousand electric particles as Imagine Breaker negated the large concentration of magic. Thor could only stare, his mouth agape, as Hiromu clenched his fist for one last time and prepared to deal the final blow.

_How? How could a god like me fall in defeat to a mere human?_

Hiromu's right hand hit Thor square in the face. The fallen thunder god flew back and landed hard on the ground, his illusions now broken.

* * *

><p>Rain began to fall heavily at the site of the battle. Thor remained on the ground as the cold drops of rain hit his face, washing away the blood. Beside him, Mjölnir, in her human form, laid motionless. Thor would have tried to check on his servant, but could not muster the strength to do so. The rain continued to fall, as if shedding tears for his defeat<p>

That's right, I lost.

Thor chuckled. He could not remember the last time he lost. Ever since he embraced the supernatural, he thought he had acquired the power to protect. To protect the person most important to him.

He turned his head to his side, gazing at the unconscious little girl. He clenched both of his fists as the rain washes down over him.

_I've lost you once before._

He opened his hand and reached out to the twintailed girl.

_I won't lose you again. _

"Sheesh, I wondered what took you so long."

A voice broke out amidst the torrent of rain; Thor looked to his left. A woman in her early twenties stood, carrying a white umbrella. Her hazel colored hair was styled in a bob cut. Dressed in a slightly revealing maid outfit, Thor recognized her immediately.

"Sigyn?"

"Master was wondering what kept you."

Having this mentioned, Thor bit his lip, then winced at the pain.

"You got beat up quite badly," Sigyn remarked.

"Sorry, I failed the job."

"Failed?" Sigyn said, stepping over Thor and approaching the twintailed girl. "Goodness, no."

"W-what?"

Sigyn held out her right hand, and a crimson light enveloped Mjölnir.

"There, her mana has been restored. I know all too well just how important she is to you," Sigyn said, now approaching Thor. "Now it's your turn."

Sigyn held out her left hand and a blue light enveloped the thunder god.

"What you said about the assignment..." Thor asked, but stopped as his wounds slowly closed and healed.

"You need not worry about it." The maid said as she finishes restoring Thor. "The Crest of Conflict has been carved in this area. We're done here."

"Is that so..." Thor muttered, rubbing his chin.

Sigyn stood, her task now finished. "You have twenty-four hours before the effects become permanent, otherwise you'll both go back to your original state, so you best not engage in combat until then."

Thor clicked his tongue. They sure have a lousy healer, but beggars can't be choosers.

"We're ready to move to the next location. Are you ready?"

What kind of question was that? Thor had already sacrificed so much for the person he swore to protect with all his might. There was no way in hell he would back down now.

The gears were already in motion, and the thunder god anticipated his next encounter with _him. _

Thor's mouth broke into a smile.

"Of course."


End file.
